UPDATE: Man Arrested in 'Red Truck,' Suspicious Person Incidents

Posted
UPDATED: June, 19, 2014- Manassas City Police are reporting that they have identified the person approaching teen and tween girls in Manassas and asking them to get into his truck. "Detectives gathered information obtained from witnesses to identify Joseph D. Briganti, 37, of Ramrod Road, Woodbridge, as the person involved in the “red truck” incidents," police wrote in a statement on their Facebook page. "After further investigation and consultation with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, a warrant for stalking was obtained and served at his residence the evening of Wednesday, June 18, 2014," Manassas Police reported.
Briganti is being held with no bond at the Prince William County Adult Detention Center, pending a court date.ORIGINAL STORY: Published on June 18 - The Manassas City Police are warning residents to be on the lookout for a suspicious male, driving a red pickup truck, suspected of approaching underage females in the area and asking them to get into his vehicle. On June 11, the Manassas City Police met with a resident on the 10100 block of Green Leaf Drive to file a report of a suspicious person. “The victim, a 16-year old female, told officers that she was running on Godwin Drive at approximately 6:15 a.m. on June 11, when the driver of a red pickup truck slowed down behind her and asked through the window if she needed a ride,” stated a Manassas City Police press release. After the encounter, the runner changed directions, but saw the driver again down Hastings Drive and Shannon Lane. The teen told police that she stopped in a “witness-rich environment where the driver pulled up and told her to get in his truck.” Fortunately, she was able to escape and return home unharmed. The victim describes the suspect as a white male, approximately 5’11” with a “beer belly” and gray/brown hair. He was wearing a white tank top, dark colored shorts and a white baseball cap at the time. Since then, Manassas City Police met with two other young girls who reported having a similar encounter that same day. On June 15, Manassas City Police met with residents on the 10300 block of Almond Tree Court for a report of a suspicious person. The victims, one 12-year-old female and one 13-year old female, told officers they were walking in the area of Clover Hill Road and Godwin Drive at approximately 8:40 p.m. on June 11, when the driver of a red pickup truck stopped near them in the intersection and yelled to the girls to get in his truck. The girls were able to run to a nearby residence unharmed. These girls described the vehicle as a single-cab red pickup truck with lifts and oversized black bumpers. They described the suspect as an adult male wearing a green or black ball cap.
Anyone with information about these events is encouraged to call the Manassas City Police Department Investigative Services Division at (703) 257-8092 or Crime Solvers. The Manassas City Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest in these cases. The confidential 24-hour tip line is (703) 330-0330. Si usted tiene información sobre estos eventos, favor de llamar al departamento de policía de la ciudad de Manassas a (703) 257-8092, o a la solucionistsa de crimen (Crime Solvers). Crime Solvers pagará un premio de hasta $1,000.00 en efectivo por información que ayude en arrestar los sospechosos en estos casos. Llame las 24 horas al (703) 330-0330. Nunca tiene que dar su nombre; solamente la información. Adrienne E. Helms Crime Prevention Specialist & Public Information Officer Manassas City Police Department 9518 Fairview Ave Manassas, VA 20110 (703) 257-8064 Direct (703) 257-5892 Fax
abduction-attempts, approaching-young-girls, arrest, crime, featured, joseph-briganti, manassas, pickup-truck, police, prince-william, report, suspicious-male, woodbrige